The public is to be invited to see at first hand the design of the £18 million new headquarters for Cambridgeshire County Council at Alconbury.

The council is putting on an evening meeting at Alconbury next Thursday or for those not wanting to travel so far the designs will be on display at Shire Hall, Cambridge, from March 1-13.

The county council says it wants to share the design options with residents ahead of submitting a planning application.

Although much concept work has been done, the council says the design and build team will be on hand to answer questions.

“This event is an opportunity to showcase some main principles of the new hub but many of the detailed design elements are still being considered,” said a council spokesman.

“We will continue to work with stakeholders in order to create a building which meets our present and future needs.”

The council agreed last May to move out of Shire Hall and head 24 miles down the A14 to Alconbury to what they are calling a “smaller, more flexible purpose built building”.

The new two-storey headquarters will have desks for up to 350 employees whilst council and committee meetings will take place in a multi-use 90 seater space that can be split into three rooms.

Councillor Josh Schumann, chairman of the commercial and investment committee, said: “Even after taking the cost of the new building into account, the move is set to save the council in the region of £46.5m over the next 30 years, savings which will be reinvested back into public facing services.”

Planning permission will be submitted in late spring, with construction set to begin towards the end of 2019, and completion due by December 2020.

“Throughout the last year we have carried out extensive engagement with officers, councillors and local community groups to shape the plans that we are sharing with the wider county residents today,” said Cllr Schumann.

“These conversations have been invaluable, and by working alongside special interest groups such as our equality and diversity group, I believe we will be able to create an efficient, flexible and collaborative space that truly works for staff, councillors and the public alike.”

Chief finance officer Chris Malyon said: “The council will always retain a presence in Cambridge city, but will now be more visible in other areas across the county too”.

The ‘public engagement event’ will be held between 4pm- 8pm on Thursday, February 28, at The Club Building, Alconbury Weald, PE28 4XA.